INTERVIEW: Tyler Oakley talks being a gay role model

For Cailyn Cox, writing isn't just a hobby, it's her life. Passionate about Hollywood, she makes it her mission to find the most entertaining celebrity gossip for SheKnows readers. And when she's not enthralled in the celeb world, she's ...

Back off, haters: Tyler Oakley blasts Vine star for gay slur

Tyler Oakley may be a fantastic YouTube personality but he's also become an amazing role model for gay youth, and we were fortunate enough to catch up with him at the Young Hollywood Awards to ask a few questions.

Speaking with SheKnows at the annual event that celebrates the brightest and most influential young stars in Hollywood, Oakley revealed that he's pleased with how the current YouTube trends are helping people to achieve their dreams.

"I would say people are achieving their dreams through [YouTube], which is the coolest thing because all of my friends are able to live out things that they never thought would be possible — like writing books, or hosting, or doing movies, so it's a cool thing," he told SheKnows.

The star's dreams are clearly coming true, and he's passionate and opinionated, having recently become a role model for gay youth. Oakley has a strong online influence and previously blasted Vine star Nash Grier about his use of a gay slur, so we wanted to know what it feels like to reach people.

"I would say, if you have an influence online that you are impacting tons of lives," Oakley revealed. With this comes a great responsibility, one that he is acutely aware of.

"It's not something you can take casually," he said. "So everyone has an opportunity to positively or negatively affect people. So I always try to keep that in mind."

OK, so what's the one thing that Oakley is looking to do on YouTube that he hasn't done before?

"I've done it all," he jokingly tells SheKnows. "I have seen my own birth and reacted to it in a video, I have done drinking games, I've collaborated with everyone and I have interviewed One Direction, so I think I have lived a lot of my dreams."